---
title: "What the sources say about the Red-Tailed Hawk | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "32 claims from the Red-Tailed Hawk profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/red-tailed-hawk-1.webp"
canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/red-tailed-hawk/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Red-Tailed Hawk (*Buteo jamaicensis*)

> 32 claims from the Red-Tailed Hawk profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Red-Tailed Hawk](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/red-tailed-hawk/)

## Red-tailed Hawk. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/red-tailed-hawk

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The copper-tailed hawk whose cry voices bald eagles in TV ads. | all adult red-tailed hawks have the copper-colored tail that gives them their common name (note: tagline, first half; second half is the cry claim below) |
| The copper-tailed hawk whose cry voices bald eagles in TV ads. | The powerful cry of a red-tailed hawk is the same cry used in TV commercials depicting bald eagles. |
| Typically open country with scattered perches | They typically choose open areas with scattered, elevated places to perch. |
| from Alaska to Panama and the West Indies | these raptors range from Alaska to Panama and from California to the West Indies |
| Mostly rodents such as ground squirrels and mice, plus birds, reptiles, insects and fish | About 95 percent of the red-tailed hawk’s diet consists of rodents, especially ground squirrels and mice. They also dine on other birds, reptiles, and even insects and fish at the water's edge. |
| Sees ultraviolet colours humans cannot | They can see colors, like most humans can, as well as those in the ultraviolet range. This means that the hawks can perceive colors that humans cannot see. |
| San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance says red-tails see colours much as people do, plus colours in the ultraviolet range, which humans cannot see. | They can see colors, like most humans can, as well as those in the ultraviolet range. This means that the hawks can perceive colors that humans cannot see. |
| A clear inner eyelid, the nictitating membrane, cleans and protects the eye while the hawk grapples with its prey. | These predators have a nictitating membrane; the clear inner lid cleans the eye and protects it while the hawk is wrestling with its prey. |
| TV commercials about bald eagles use a red-tailed hawk's cry instead. To advertisers, the hawk simply sounds grander and more like an eagle than the real thing. | The powerful cry of a red-tailed hawk is the same cry used in TV commercials depicting bald eagles. Advertisers feel the hawk's voice sounds more regal and eagle-like than the eagle's! |
| Wingspan runs 41 to 53 inches (105 to 135 centimetres). | Wingspan: 41 to 53 inches (105 to 135 centimeters) |
| A female stands 20 to 26 inches (50 to 65 centimetres) tall and weighs 2 to 3 pounds (900 to 1,400 grams). Males are smaller, at 1.5 to 2.9 pounds (690 to 1,300 grams). | Height: Females, 20 to 26 inches (50 to 65 centimeters) tall ... Weight: Females, 2 to 3 pounds (900 to 1,400 grams); males, 1.5 to 2.9 pounds (690 to 1,300 grams) |
| The tail that gives the bird its name is copper-coloured in adults, while juveniles do not have red tails. | all adult red-tailed hawks have the copper-colored tail that gives them their common name ... Juvenile red-tailed hawks, no matter where they live, do not have red tails. |
| For all their soaring ability, the zoo says red-tails wait on a perch for prey instead of hunting from high above. Most often they launch hard off the perch, glide down and grab a meal on the ground. | Despite its strength and soaring ability, red-tails perch in wait for prey rather than soaring overhead They most often fly powerfully from a perch and then glide and snatch their meal from the ground. |
| Rodents make up about 95 percent of what they eat, mainly ground squirrels and mice; birds, reptiles, insects and even fish caught at the water's edge are also taken. | About 95 percent of the red-tailed hawk’s diet consists of rodents, especially ground squirrels and mice. They also dine on other birds, reptiles, and even insects and fish at the water's edge. |
| The hawk then has to defend its catch from golden eagles, bald eagles and ferruginous hawks. | defend it from other raptors—golden eagles, bald eagles, and ferruginous hawks—long enough to eat it |
| Life is hard: half of all red-tails die before their first birthday. | Half of all red-tails do not make it through their first year of life. |
| Red-tails live from Alaska south to Panama, and east from California into the West Indies. | these raptors range from Alaska to Panama and from California to the West Indies |
| They avoid tundra and thick forest but are more adaptable than any other hawk in their genus, living in deserts, plains, farmland, parks, woodlands and even tropical rainforests. | Although they avoid the tundra and thick forest, red-tailed hawks are more adaptable than any other hawk in the Buteo genus. They inhabit a wide range of habitats, including scrub, desert, plains, grasslands, agricultural fields, pastures, parks, woodlands, and tropical rainforests. |
| A red-tail tends to keep the same territory its whole life, and it can be as large as 25 square kilometres (9.6 square miles). | Red-tailed hawks tend to keep the same territory their whole life; it can be as large as 9.6 square miles (25 square kilometers). |
| Birds from Canada and Alaska fly as far south as Panama for winter. | Those birds that live in Canada and Alaska migrate as far south as Panama to winter. |
| San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance gives a wingspan of 41 to 53 inches (105 to 135 centimetres). Females weigh 2 to 3 pounds and males 1.5 to 2.9 pounds. | Wingspan: 41 to 53 inches (105 to 135 centimeters) ... Weight: Females, 2 to 3 pounds (900 to 1,400 grams); males, 1.5 to 2.9 pounds (690 to 1,300 grams) |
| Yes. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance says commercials showing bald eagles use the red-tailed hawk's cry. To advertisers, the hawk sounds more regal than the eagle itself. | The powerful cry of a red-tailed hawk is the same cry used in TV commercials depicting bald eagles. Advertisers feel the hawk's voice sounds more regal and eagle-like than the eagle's! |
| Yes. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance says red-tails see the usual colours plus ultraviolet, a range invisible to people. | They can see colors, like most humans can, as well as those in the ultraviolet range. This means that the hawks can perceive colors that humans cannot see. |
| Like all raptors, the red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) has excellent vision. | Red-tailed hawks, like all raptors, have excellent vision. |
| Borrowed voice. TV commercials about bald eagles use a red-tailed hawk's cry instead. | The powerful cry of a red-tailed hawk is the same cry used in TV commercials depicting bald eagles. (note: blockquote lead-in plus first sentence, as the pack joins them) |
| The red-tail's powerful cry is the one TV commercials showing bald eagles use in place of the eagle's own. | The powerful cry of a red-tailed hawk is the same cry used in TV commercials depicting bald eagles. (note: vibe.reason) |

## AnAge entry for Buteo jamaicensis. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.

https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Buteo_jamaicensis

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| AnAge says wild birds do not normally live more than 16 years, though the record in the wild is 30.7 years. | In the wild they do not normally live more than 16 years [ 0437 ]; record longevity in the wild is 30.7 years [ 0427 ]. |
| A wild one rarely passes 16, and the oldest wild bird on its record reached 30.7 years. | In the wild they do not normally live more than 16 years [ 0437 ]; record longevity in the wild is 30.7 years [ 0427 ]. |
| Once grown, about 6 to 7 years on average, according to AnAge. | The average longevity for these animals once they reach maturity is about 6 to 7 years. |

## Buteo jamaicensis (red-tailed hawk). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Buteo_jamaicensis/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| females are about 25 percent larger than males, a size gap common among birds of prey | females are 25% larger than males. This kind of sexual dimorphism, where females are larger than males, is common in birds of prey. |

## Buteo jamaicensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2024: e.T22695933A264594226.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2024-2.rlts.t22695933a264594226.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The IUCN rates the species Least Concern. | Least Concern (LC) (note: GBIF copy of the Red List checked for Buteo jamaicensis, taxon 22695933) |
| Least Concern | Least Concern (LC) (note: stats.conservationStatus) |